


To ashes.

by EnochianLullabies



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, harvey is still learning about emotions more or less
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:00:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27153529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnochianLullabies/pseuds/EnochianLullabies
Summary: Mike should have known that the World had been tilted out of its axis that morning when he had found the traffic light, where he always had to stop on his way to work, bright green. But, to be honest, nothing else weird happened during the working hours.Several hours later, Harvey knocked at his door, looking miserable."Hey"“What the hell happened?” Mike asked when Harvey didn’t add anything else to his greeting.“My building caught on fire” Harvey answered, like he himself couldn’t quite believe it.
Relationships: Mike Ross/Harvey Specter
Comments: 10
Kudos: 117





	1. The fire.

Mike should have known that the World had been tilted out of its axis that morning when he had found the traffic light, where he always had to stop on his way to work, bright green. But, to be honest, nothing else weird happened during the working hours.

Harvey shouted at him, Louis tried to shout at him but Harvey shut him up, Harvey called him to his office and made him feel like an idiot. He went back to his cubicle and tried to get Rachel to help him, she said yes on the condition of him inviting her to a good restaurant at lunch time.

Things with Rachel were, finally, getting back to normal after two months in which he didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask for her help even if she was the only one that could help him, Mike had finally gotten over her rejection and the news that she had a new boyfriend, he had grown a pair and had asked for help last week, and now he could even be with her alone in a room without feeling anything inappropriate.

He supposed that Harvey telling him they had a dinner date with a client wasn’t weird either, it wasn’t the first time. The client ended up not showing up; which wasn’t weird at all, but annoying, and then he himself made it all much weirder.

“I can believe Mark did this” Harvey said under his breath. “I’m going home” he added turning away and walking towards the road without even looking at Mike.

“Wait, can’t we have dinner without him?”

“You can have whatever you want, rookie, but it’s coming out of your pay.”

“Come on, Harvey, you’re not fun” In retrospective it was absolute bullshit to think that that phrase was the one that started everything, especially when Mike had been trying (and failing) to put Harvey in the ‘He’s your boss, stop thinking about how big his hands are’ category since day one; but Mike thinks that was the phrase that started everything, because, before that night, Mike had been completely fine with stopping his train of thought every time it started to look a little too much like he wanted Harvey to fuck him; which he didn’t want. At all.

“Oh, I am _fun_ , Mike” Harvey said, but didn’t move an inch away from the edge of the street; suddenly, all the cars that were on the street, all the cabs dying to take Harvey Specter on them, were nowhere to be seen. “But I’m pissed. And I’m not paying for your dinner. Go get KFC.”

Mike rolled his eyes and waited for Harvey to move away so he could go and call a taxi (Harvey had threatened to kill him if he showed up in his bike to dinner with a client); but Harvey didn’t move away.

“Harvey?” he said, feeling the air getting heavier as Harvey walked back to where he was standing; as he did so, traffic in NY seemed to return to its normal and the cars crowded the place.

“You know what, Mike? I’m about to show you how much fun I am” Harvey said, almost defiant. Mike swallowed, wasn’t Harvey a little too close? Was he about to kiss him? Was he referring to that kind of fun? He would let Harvey strip him down in that same street, next to the door to a very expensive restaurant, and fuck him right there for every- Oh, Harvey was moving away.

Oh, God, what had he been thinking? He would revisit those thoughts never, thanks. Knowing that Harvey was attractive and acknowledging it when Rachel said it (even if she was using it as some weird argument for their break up) was one thing; but those thoughts? Those were something he had been repressing so well till that very moment. “Are you coming?” Harvey said, Mike looked up and saw him asking for their table to the maître on the door.

They had dinner without any more ‘accidents’, talked about their current case, which looked like it was going to get harder than they had initially thought (and Harvey suggested vehemently that Mike should go back to his apartment and start working on it right after desserts), and about a new film that neither of them had had time to watch yet.

After dessert Mike was quite sure he was drunk, not the kind of ‘drunk’ that makes you do crazy things like jump your fairly attractive (the most handsome man you have ever seen) boss, but the type of drunkenness that made you laugh at almost everything and made your head feel bigger and heavier by the minute.

He got home in a cab Harvey called for him, putting his hand up in a New York street. The cab seemed eager to stop just for him, the great Harvey Specter. He smirked at Mike, showing off how he wasted less than 5 seconds in stopping one of those, usually, impossible to catch things.

The ride home was long enough that Mike could close his eyes some time, the driver wasn’t happy that he had token Mike and not Harvey, so he wasn’t really being talkative anyway. At some point they got caught in traffic, he supposed Harvey, living closer to the restaurant and having generally better luck than himself, would have arrived home already.

He didn’t even remember how he climbed the stairs to his apartment. When he opened the door, he didn’t waste a second and threw everything over his couch: the jacket, his shoulder bag, and tie; he got into the shower and, maybe for a couple of seconds, he had fallen asleep standing up, right there under the warm water; he had learnt to sleep in pretty uncomfortable places, his bed in that same apartment before he started working for the firm was one of them, but sleeping in the shower was a new level of risky that he had discovered only when he started to work for Pearson Hardman. How many hours had he slept that week? He didn’t even know if it was in double digits.

He got out and dried himself, he put the towel around his waist and both hands in the sink, holding it for dear life, looking at his face in the mirror, he looked tired, he should have token the opportunity Mark had given him by not showing up and to go to sleep earlier and not to dare Harvey to ‘be fun’. He was combing his wet hair with his, also wet, fingers trying to… not really trying to get anything out of it; his hair was getting longer; he was thinking about having to cut it soon. Then he heard the doorbell.

He turned off the bathroom light, as if that could be seen from outside, and tiptoed to the door, he took his sweet time, making not noise at all, he looked out of the peephole and almost yelped in surprise.

“Harvey?” he said opening the door.

“Hey” Harvey replied lifting his face to look at Mike’s eyes, the swoosh of wind outside the block louder than his voice.

Something was very wrong. First of all, Mike had been very slow to open the door and Harvey hadn’t even knocked again? That was out of character for him. Not only that, but he was standing there in his grey sweatpants and t-shirt (of course they were designer, but Harvey wouldn’t have been caught with them out of his gym); looking devastated.

“What the hell happened?” Mike asked when Harvey didn’t add anything else to his greeting.

“My building caught on fire” Harvey answered, like he himself couldn’t quite believe it. Mike opened his eyes wide, he moved and let Harvey in, Harvey murmured ‘Thanks’ and sat at the couch, he felt Mike’s discarded suit jacket, he arched his eyebrow but didn’t say anything about it, he put it over the couch back. Mike sat with him, then, seconds after, stood up and went looking for something to offer to Harvey for drinking.

“I only have water” Mike said giving him a full glass, maybe a little too full, but Harvey didn’t spill a drop. “How are you?”

Harvey looked up at him like he was stupid for even asking, but didn’t say a thing.

It was weird. The whole thing. Everything. Harvey sitting there in his comfy clothes, looking at him as if he had just kicked his figurative puppy. Harvey not being in charge … vulnerable; it wasn’t something that Mike thought he would ever see. It wasn’t even a thing that Mike had wanted to see, as curious as Mike always was. Harvey never lets his guard down, that’s one of the most known facts about him. He has walls around him so tall and sturdy that a hundred years of war against them wouldn’t tear them apart. And, even with that, defying everything Mike knew about his boss, his friend (even if Harvey didn’t let him call him that), was there, sitting in his couch because:

“I didn’t have any other place to go to.”

Mike knew he should have said something like ‘Oh, don’t worry, you have me! We are friends!’, seize the opportunity; but he had never been known for saying the appropriate thing or shutting the hell up when he was supposed to. “What about your wallet or your phone?”

Mike also knew that Harvey, normally, would have told him off, ‘Why would I be here if I had them, rookie?’, but the Harvey at his couch just looked down “The phone is inside.”

“Shit, you didn’t have time to take it?” Harvey shook his head “You want to tell me about it?” Harvey shook his head again. “Okay, let’s just…” he sat at the couch next to Harvey, who had put the glass down on the floor because Mike didn’t have a coffee table (and Harvey wasn’t even saying anything about it).

After a couple of seconds of Mike just sitting here he could see the spark in Harvey’s eyes going back to them, and his whole body posture changed. “Look, Mike, I don’t know what I was thinking when I came here. I’m going back” he said, trying to stand up, but Mike dared to put a hand in his shoulder stopping him for doing so, Harvey looked at Mike’s hand like it was personally insulting his whole family.

“To your burned down house?” Mike asked.

“I could go to Donna’s.”

“I bet she lives closer to you than I do, but you came here.” Harvey didn’t say anything, knowing that every answer would incriminate him. “What about a Star Trek marathon?” Mike said, and moved out of the couch without saying anything.

Harvey’s fight or fly mechanism was telling him to fly the scene, to get out of there before he had to confront himself and answer to that question Mike hadn’t asked: why aren’t you already at Donna’s? or, even worst: why are you here?

He could have gone to Donna’s, or Jessica’s, and every hotel in the city would have lent him a room without asking any questions; let alone having his card with him, which he did have. But, when he had felt like he had lost everything, he went to Mike’s house without even thinking about all the other possibilities.

And now Mike was sitting next to him in the couch, smiling happily even when he had looked half asleep when he had opened the door for Harvey, his hair still wet, thankfully already dressed. Harvey was tired too. And cold. He shivered and his arm touched slightly Mike’s, who looked at him. Harvey smiled a little, Mike was alert, Harvey didn’t have a clue why, maybe he was scared that Harvey would start crying (seeing your boss crying was a motive to let go of any job), or maybe he was scared of not being a good, or maybe…

“I’m cold” Harvey said, just to stop thinking, “This apartment doesn’t even have radiators? Or, I don’t know, a barrel on fire?” he added, trying to sound as much as himself as he could; it was difficult when he wasn’t feeling like it.

“Oh, yes, just let me get my fingerless gloves and I’ll set my biggest pot on fire” Mike said, “in the meantime use this” he said throwing a cover to Harvey’s face.

“That’s how you treat your boss?”

“In this apartment _I am_ the boss.”

“No, I think you’re not” Harvey said, taking the remote control from Mike’s hands; and, okay, he needed sleep, because he had let his hand rest over Mike’s for a little longer than necessary, craving the feeling, feeling himself getting a little less cold already. His house had caught fire, but he was the one burning. He put on the first episode of the DVD Mike had put in the lector. 

“We’ll see about that” Mike murmured, and got under the cover; probably because he was as cold as Harvey, and nothing else, Harvey had to remind himself. And then he got closer to Harvey.

Harvey swallowed, looked for the glass of water on the floor, took it and drank from it, letting it back on the same spot, he was going to tell something to Mike, something funny, not risky or flirty, not about how he could feel his heat next to him or how that was stripping him of all sanity he had feel he would regain going to Mike’s house when he found himself on the street pass midnight.

He didn’t say anything through, because Mike was asleep next to him; falling towards his side, collapsing all over his side, his head hitting Harvey’s shoulder. Harvey stayed still, as still as he could, and for about ten minutes he tried to watch the Star Trek’s episode, but, after feeling his eyes closing a couple of times he gave up.

“Mike” he whispered, Mike took a sharper breath but didn’t move, “Mike, you’re asleep” he said again, a little louder, Mike moved closer, hugging him like he was a teddy bear. “Fuck’s shake” Harvey whispered and saw Mike opening one eye.

“Harvey?” he said, but didn’t move. Harvey was surprised he didn’t react to waking up hugging him. What Harvey didn’t know was how many times Mike had dreamt about waking up cuddling Harvey.

“Let’s get you to bed, your boss must be tiring you up bad if you can fall asleep during The Drumhead.”

“He is” Mike said stretching, no touching Harvey anymore. For a couple seconds, as Mike stretched, letting his t-shirt roll up showing his stomach as if he wasn’t sitting next to a hungry wolf, Harvey thought that maybe Mike hadn’t realized yet that his boss was, indeed, there. He stood up and walked towards the bed with the blanket, that had covered them both, on his hand like a kid. “You not coming?” he said, turning towards Harvey and yawing.

Harvey felt his heart jumping. Protesting the distance. 

What was he supposed to say? He wanted to go there, he wanted to sleep next to Mike, he wanted to do a lot more than sleeping, but sleeping next to him sounded so nice, having Mike curled up around him sharing his heat with like a puppy, he… “I’ll take the couch.”

“That couch is trash, I won’t even take my naps there. Come” he said.

“Where are you putting all the money I’m giving you?”

Mike tried to do something similar to rolling his eyes, but closed them halfway. Harvey stood up and Mike smiled, he thought Mike would go to the bedroom then, giving Harvey some time to think of an excuse to be on the couch if Mike woke up before Harvey had gone to work, but instead Mike waited till Harvey was in front of him “It’s been a tough night, you earned sleeping on the bed” Mike explained, he wanted to put his hand on Harvey’s shoulder but failed on doing so and his hand fell on his chest.

“I’m not a dog, Mike.”

“We don’t like that analogy now, do we?” he said, laughing, his voice was rough with sleep. He sounded sweeter than chocolate.

He didn’t move away when Harvey took his chin with one hand, angling it slightly higher. He wasn’t falling asleep when he closed his eyes this time, his heart beating way faster than before. Harvey smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. And then he kissed Mike, a light peck, and then a little harder, Mike put his hands in Harvey’s chest, fisting his pure cotton t-shirt in his hands, bringing him closer. Then Harvey let go and so did Mike. Harvey closed his eyes harder, hearing Mike steps go away, he didn’t open his eyes till he was sure Mike was on the bed. Next morning Harvey would have to spend one more hour than necessary in the gym kicking away those thoughts he was having. He walked to the room, relieved to find Mike already under the covers, his eyes open but not without effort.

“Good night, puppy” he said, and laid in the bed, hopping for Mike’s answer, dreading he would want to talk about it.

“Good night, old dog” Mike answered, smiling faintly, and felt asleep right away. It didn’t take much more for Harvey, he let the tiredness of the day and the felling of comfort that Mike brought to him put him to sleep.


	2. The smoke.

Waking up and feeling someone sleeping next to him on the new bed he had bought after Rachel was weird. It was even weirder knowing it was Harvey; he didn’t dare move, he knew he was all over Harvey and he was supposed to scream, act surprised, and move away, pretending he didn’t remember they had kissed last night. Wait, had they? Mike had been really tired, maybe he had hallucinated it, dreamt it, maybe the one he was cuddling with wasn’t even Harvey, but a random guy he was rubbing his erection slowly on his leg.

He opened his eyes, reminding himself to stop moving his damns hips, and, oh God, of course it was Harvey sleeping under him. Well, not sleeping, technically, because he had both eyes open.

“You are finally awake. How do you even get to work on the mornings?”

“Crying” Mike answered, moving only his head to look for the clock in his side table “Harvey” he said, dragging the ‘y’, “it’s only 5 a.m. What are you doing awake?”

“I usually go to the gym at this time… no that I can now.”

“Well, your sports clothes are here.”

“Yes, right under you, like the rest of me” he reminded Mike, arching an eyebrow.

“Oh, fuck, yes. Sorry” he said and rolled onto his side. “What’s the plan for today?” Mike asked instead of what he wanted to ask: ‘What are we doing? Can we do this? _It_? Do you like me then? Because I sure do like you.’ He hadn’t really had time to think about it, the liking Harvey as a fact thing; he had repressed it for months and he had been asleep for the most part since he had dare to assume that he did, indeed, like Harvey.

“I’ll go to Renè’s” said Harvey cutting him off, Mike was thankful for it; he didn’t want to kept thinking about liking Harvey and Harvey not doing it back, he wanted to- Oh, yes, Harvey was still talking. Didn’t he have the most handsome voice? “He’ll lend me a suit that doesn’t scream ‘rookie’, like the ones you are about to offer and, also, you’re still the size of an awkward teen so they won’t suit me.”

“That’s the Harvey I was missing last night when you almost cried on my arms” teased Mike, a little more focused on the conversation, Harvey was still on bed, he was resting mere inches away from Mike, his eyes on him; that was making the ‘concentrate and don’t say anything embarrassing’ part of Mike’s objective for the conversation very difficult.

“I did not do that.”

“You did. A little. You totally did it a little, you even ki-”

“And, before you can say anything else, I’m going back to work, and when I get to my office I want you there with the papers I asked of you last night ready.”

“That’s- Alright, yes, I’ll have them.”

“Good boy” Harvey said, and took the covers out, standing up from the bed in all his glory. He stretched and Mike swallowed so hard he almost choked. God, he had slept with Harvey Specter, not slept _slept,_ but, at least, slept with him; all… that, had been under him in a way and they, even if Harvey had chosen to play denial, had kissed.

And fuck, he had promised months ago, before choosing to just ignore it, to get over that stupid crush, over how hot and bothered he got whenever Harvey smirked at him, show him how professional and detached and not at Harvey’s mercy he was, even when he called him ‘good boy’; but it looked like he wasn’t doing great, looking at how he was all but moving his tail after Harvey had say just that. And, on top of it all, now Mike knew about the _other_ Harvey, the one that didn’t stand up so straight and rightfully that Babel’s Tower was a child’s game next to him, so shiny you were afraid to look at him might his shine blind you. He had known the Harvey that went looking for him, for comfort; and not Donna, or Jessica, or any girl on the city that would had have him. No, no for them, for him.

“Where are you sleeping tonight?” said Mike in a whim before Harvey finished putting on his shoes.

“I’ll talk to Donna. I’ll book a room and pay online.”

“That’s an unnecessary expense.”

“Mike, do you know how much I earn in only a couple of hours? Plus, if you get us those papers and we win that case…”

“Yes, but… You could stay here” That was it, he didn’t have any excuse, any reason why staying with him would be better than Harvey staying in a hotel. He supposed he could pull the ‘you need emotional support right now’ card, but he suspected Harvey wouldn’t let him play that one even if it was the truth; he would see right through his bullshit; so staying a simple fact would be far more effective.

“I…” Harvey said, out of his game once again in less than 24 hours. He had an answer to everything when he was defending a client, but when it came to Mike…, lately he was finding himself speechless more times than he would like to. “I have to check if my place is… still there, if I have to go hunting for a new one and…” Mike was nodding to all that, “I could… I think is a good idea, we could work some nights if I have to be doing other things in the morning the next few days; living together would make it easier.”

Did that mean Harvey wasn’t only expending one night more, but a whole bunch of them? Like… two at least?

“Is that a yes? You have a complicate way of-”

“Yes, that’s a yes, rookie. And stop smiling” he said shaking his head.

“’Roommate’ now!”

“Don’t make me regret it so soon, pup” he said. Mike smiled but didn’t add anything fearing Harvey would change his decision and book a hotel room.

Harvey let the apartment and had to rest his back against the door for a couple of minutes, what was he playing at? He had felt attracted to Mike for a long time, but he had done such a good job of molding that feeling into something that was only a reflection of a small part of it, he had trimmed it like a bonsai: ‘I like Mike’s mind, how he’s agile with his words, intelligent, quick and fun to be around; and that’s friendship, Harvey, is just that you don’t have that many friends’, he had told himself, and it had worked so good! Till last night, and it was all his fault, because he had spent the only two bills he had with him when he had been evacuated on a taxi to get to Mike’s, without even thinking of going any other place, because he had, for the first time in years, let his heart be the one guiding him to a place where he could feel… protected.

And wasn’t his heart a traitor piece of shit.

Thankfully for Harvey he arrived at the office sooner than he did most days, even after getting a new suit from Renè, who almost dropped dead at seeing him in his sweaters. He was walking confidently to his office, trying not to think about his own problems when Donna stopped him; she was already at her desk like every morning.

“What happened yesterday?”

“Um” Harvey said, frowning, it was impossible that Donna didn’t know about the fire, she was Donna, after all, but he still tried his luck and told her what she already knew. “My building caught on fire” he said.

“Yes. I got you a new phone and debit card; you will be able to go there tomorrow morning to retrieve your personal possessions, but they aren’t sure when the occupants will be able to go back. What happened yesterday?” she said, raising her eyebrow and looking insistently at him. Harvey knew he didn’t have any place to run to, and also, he didn’t have any reason for not telling Donna the truth, he had slept at Mike’s house, Mike was his friend, there wasn’t anything wrong with being friends with your employee. But Harvey couldn’t get himself to open his mouth and tell the truth. He took the phone and wallet Donna was offering; knowing that Donna was already interpreting his delay in answering as proof that something that shouldn’t have happened had, indeed, happened last night while Harvey wasn’t at his on fire apartment.

“Harvey? Jessica wants to see you” said Louis, that had been observing the whole exchange from a respectable distance and wasn’t quite sure of what was happening.

“Thanks, Louis.” Saying that, Harvey waved at Donna, who didn’t wave back, and walked to Jessica’s.

“That was weird…” said Louis looking at Donna.

“I’m not telling you anything, Louis” she said going back to working on her computer.

“Too much for companionship on this office” Louis said rolling his eyes and walked away.

That was the moment Mike got to the floor, he had arrived to the office before Harvey (‘As you should’ he heard his own mental Harvey saying), and had some documents that Harvey needed for his next settlement; he had also looked at the news online and had discovered that Harvey’s building hadn’t completely burned down, that the fire didn’t get to his floor but that the building would need a couple months of reparations at least before anyone could go and live there again; he supposed Harvey already knew that, but still he felt like he should tell him.

Maybe Mike was only looking for excuses to talk to Harvey. Maybe to check that everything was alright between them, also that last night was real, and that Harvey was coming back that night. He had had time to think, he had thought about the possibility of the kiss being a dream but he knew it wasn’t; and about Harvey changing his mind, or about Harvey deciding that Mike had, somehow, crossed a line and he was about to punish him (not in a sexy way, but in a dreadful one: firing him or making him work so hard for the next few days that it wouldn’t matter if Harvey was sleeping or not at his house because Mike wouldn’t steep a foot on it.).

“Where are you going, pup?” called Donna before he could get pass her; too much for talking to Harvey. He was sure now that he had told Dona to make it impossible to Mike to get to him. So Harvey had come to his senses and wasn’t going to talk to Mike ever again, or go back to his home or let him touch his chest like last night or…

“Only Harvey should have the right to call me that.”

“This is an unfair world, as a lawyer you should know, and try to change, that, pup.” Donna answered.

Mike rolled his eyes and showed Donna the papers as proof that he had a reason to meet with Harvey “I’ve to get him this.”

“I will do it. Thanks Mike.” Donna took the papers and let Mike there looking dumb. Well, there went his excuse to talk to Harvey. As he walked towards the elevator he realized that he was acting like a stupid teenager in love and that he should just let it all go, he wasn’t even in love for starters. Wasn’t even sure if he liked Harvey. “Mike” Donna called, and Mike turned to look at her. “What happened yesterday?”

So Harvey hadn’t told her? Why? “Nothing, why are you asking?” he said quickly, as he had discovered was best to do with Dona, if she saw you doubting something you were already at disadvantage (you always were). Better safe than sorry.

“I’ll find out” she said to him in a whisper, squinting her eyes.

“Why are you terrorizing my pup, Donna? Did he pee anywhere?”

“You two have to stop with this metaphor, even Louis finds it weird!” he said, pointing at Louis who was coming out of the elevator after his round of shouting at the associates, Louis looked at them three and shook his head, he walked away without adding anything else.

“You two are withholding information from me; and you know how that ends.”

“We aren’t doing anything!” said Mike.

“Nothing that you can prove” said Harvey, and winked, passing by their side from Jessica’s office and walking towards his office “Come on, pup, I have treats.”

“Daddy is calling” said Donna, lowering her head to his computer so she wasn’t looking at Mike anymore.

“All of this is so not fair” whispered Mike, knowing that Dona had said that just to work him up, what she had done, he walked, almost stomping, to Harvey’s. “You can’t just say that!” he said, closing the door behind him. Harvey looked up from his desk. Mike got goosebumps. “I…”

“I’m sorry, I think I heard you telling me what to do” said Harvey, reclining in his chair, he took one of his baseballs in hand and started throwing it from one hand to the other, his eyes never leaving Mike.

“I… I’m sorry. Dona…”

“You know, Mike I think you’re getting too comfortable” he said, and Mike was dreading that he was about to fire him. He knew Harvey couldn’t do that, wouldn’t do it, could have done so before, but, still, that fear, the fear of losing everything, was always at the back of his head “around me.” He finished. And Mike took a breath that almost suffocated him. So this wasn’t about work. “I’m going to have to punish you; you have to be strict with dogs of prey” he added.

“The dog thing…” he whispered, but was smart enough to not finish it.

“So you aren’t coming to today’s fancy dinner with our client” said Harvey once he decided Mike had suffered enough.

“That’s it?”

“You want more?”

Yes, please.

“No, sorry. Thank you, Harvey.”

“Bring me our defense to the Chelsa case before four” he said, and Mike nodded, he turned around, knowing it was sensible to not add anything else “And Mike” Harvey said, Mike turned his face back to him. “Don’t wait up for me.” He threw the ball to Mike and Mike almost missed it, it hit him in the chess. Harvey rolled his eyes and went back to his documents.

Mike left the office with the ball on his hands. Harvey let him go, oh, how hard was it going to be from now on to see Mike go, and how much would he love to see him go. He forced himself to stop staring at his associate ass and went back to work.

The rest of the day was quite unremarkable. Mike couldn’t stop thinking about Harvey telling him ‘Don’t wait up for me’, just because that meant Harvey was going back to his apartment for real, even after telling him he was getting too comfortable with him. At three something he walked to Harvey’s but was, once again stopped by Donna.

“He’s sleeping with you!” she said, a little too loud, Mike looked both sides, but no one seemed to notice.

“What are you talking about?” he tried.

“Don’t play dumb, Mike.”

“We aren’t sleeping together!”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You kinda did” Mike said. Donna raised both eyebrows, thinking about it.

“Unimportant. Am I wrong?” she ended up saying.

“I have to give him this documents” Mike said, trying to change the topic, Donna looked at him for a few seconds, debating with herself if she wanted to keep pushing or not; she was already pretty sure she was right; and also that there was something else that she didn’t really want to be right about.

“I’ll give them to him” she conceded. “He’s with a client.”

Mike turned and saw Harvey laughing with a woman, beautiful, more or less Jessica’s age, redhead. She had her hand on his shoulder.

“Is that Macarena?” he said, unable to drag his eyes from the scene for a moment, then he turned to Dona, who nodded. “She’s…”

“Beautiful, I know” she said, letting out a wishful sigh. “You’re lucky to be dinning with her, she knows the best places” she added, and Mike wished she hadn’t. “And the best after-parties.”

Mike clutched his jaw. So Harvey was having dinner with her and didn’t want Mike in there. He understood. He hated it, was about to burst into flames because of it; he could felt himself clutching the documents so hard his hand was hurting. But he understood it.

Harvey wouldn’t pass his opportunity at such a beautiful woman. And he had told him already ‘Don’t wait up for me’. Those words stopped sounding so nice on his head.

“Mike?” Donna asked. Mike didn’t answer. Macarena let Harvey put a hand on her waist. Mike had had enough. He threw the documents on Donna’s mid-wall and walked away murmuring ‘goodbye’.

“God, it has already started” lamented Donna, taking the documents from the mid-wall and putting them in her desk, she glanced over them and realized that Mike had, again, done a good job; she would be so very sad if he ended up being fired. She hopped Harvey wouldn’t be stupid enough to push Mike to do something silly.

So Harvey wanted to fuck her, no biggy! He, himself, would love to fuck her! She was beautiful, with those hips, and that face, and those boobs, and hair! And he would put his hand in his shoulders, and tell him how much he wanted to fuck him!

“Fuck, ‘her’!” he said on the elevator.

“Michael, what kind of language-” Louis started.

“Not, now, Louis” Mike interrupted him, and pressed the button for the elevator doors to open, he left it right on that floor, which wasn’t his. He would take the stairs.

“What the…” Louis whispered, too shocked to even stop Mike. He texted Dona ‘What happened?’ Donna didn’t answer right away. Mike was already two floors away, maybe more, the elevator at Pearson Hardman was fast; when she texted back: ‘Jealous’ Donna typed. Louis rolled his eyes, so it had finally happened.

Mike went back to his cubicle; sweaty from running downstairs. He found Louis resting against his mid-wall.

“Fuck, sorry, Louis.”

“You have to watch that mouth, Michael. And also stop smiling so much when you see me, it’s going to cause you wrinkles” he said. He let a pile of documents fall on his desk. “This is your reward for the little show on the elevator” he added. Mike just nodded, remembering that it was always better for him to be quiet. Louis walked away and then seemed to remember something and turned towards him. “And Mike…” God, Mike was so tired of that ‘and’ already “He’s not going to change.”

Well, fuck. What was that about? Louis did his exit, letting Mike there, with his stupid face on. He tried to work on the documents without thinking about it. It not being what Louis had said. It being Harvey. ‘It’ was always Harvey.

He finished with those documents far pass seven, only some other associates where still working. He, himself, hadn’t had another visit from Louis; and Harvey, of course, must have already left for the diner.

So he went out, careful to no start conversation with anyone, he felt like the smallest bit of teasing would sent him in a spiral of violence. Which wouldn’t be fair to anyone, even to Harvey. He wasn’t stupid, he knew he had no reason to be that angry; Harvey could do whatever he pleased, and had already made clear he didn’t want anything to do with Mike further than friendship (If that). But he couldn’t help how he felt; and he felt like shit.

Once out of the building the cold New York air hit him, he felt like he was on the verge of shivering; well, he knew a good way to get some heat back inside him; and Harvey wasn’t going to miss him at home anyway.

“Stop!” he shouted, and a group of women walking right in front of him stopped. He should stop shouting his thoughts without even checking who was around him.

“Are you alright, mate?” one of them said.

“Bad day at the office.”

“But the night is young!” another of them said. Mike knew that, that was what scared him the most, but he had tough about going drinking and now a group of four beautiful British women appeared right there in front of him, waiting for him to include himself on the group; it was as if Fate itself had made the decision already for him.

“Innit?” he said to the women.

“That’s actually quite rude” the one farther away from him said. “I like it” she added, and the five of them laughed.

As they walked towards a club that was ‘Only a few minutes away, I’m not taking a bloody cub, Emily’, Mike kept being pushed closer to the girl that had called him out. Twenty minutes later he was about to go in with them, his wallet out to pay, his hand around the girl waist, when he realized he was behaving like a child, a pitiful one at that.

So what if the client was good looking? A lot of them were, and both of them had had dinner with them before, and Harvey had better ways to pick up a woman than having dinner with her because she was a client. What if Harvey was already returning home? Mike hadn’t given him a key, Harvey hadn’t asked for one either, but that wasn’t what it all was about. Without a key he would be waiting for him to come back, with his expensive suit against the staining white wall.

“I’m sorry, I have to go” he said, and looked for a place to put down his third beer of the night, the girls had been offering him one after another while they walked; he put it down next to the girl giving the entry tickets and she looked at him in a way that told Mike that, if he didn’t go by his own feet in less than five minutes, security would do it for him.

“What? Mikey!” One of the girls, already opening the second door to go into the club yelped at him.

“I have work tomorrow” he said.

“Didn’t you have it before?” another one asked.

“He has a girlfriend, and just remembered he isn’t really an arsehole” the girl next to him said moving away from his touch.

“I… Yes, I don’t want to be an asshole. I’m sorry. And stupid. Have a great night ladies!” he ended up answering, leaving the money for the tickets on the counter, next to the beer; the woman behind the counter seemed as disgusted as before. On his way home, in a taxi that was going to cost him more than he was willing to think about, Mike realized that, of course, his phone had died. “Sorry, do you have a charger?” he asked to the driver.

“Do I look like an Uber to you?” he answered. Mike smiled, fair enough.

When he got home it was already almost midnight, and he knew that he shouldn’t have felt relieved to find Harvey there, standing against his wall. But he couldn’t help the little gasp of relief he let out when he saw him.

“Mike” Harvey said moving away from the wall “Where the hell were you?”

“I was working late.”

“If that was true I would have find you there once my dinner was over, wouldn’t I?” Harvey said, he looked angry.

“You checked?” He walked towards the door, trying to not make eye contact with Harvey.

“Of course.”

“And now you are here.”

“You didn’t give me a key, Mike, and I came home, and you weren’t here, how the hell am I supposed to get inside? Or you don’t want me here at all?” Mike had opened the door and they both went inside. But Mike had had enough, yes, he hadn’t thought about it, but Harvey was acting as if he had locked him out of his own apartment for weeks instead of what was surely not even an hour.

“You could have gone to a hotel!” Mike said, closing the door with a bang. Harvey turned to face him, and walked so close to him that Mike hit the door with his back. But Harvey didn’t say anything, he stood there, towering over him, too close for Mike to be comfortable with it. He didn’t have to be an expert in reading people to know that Harvey was looking at his mouth and what it meant “Why didn’t you?” he whispered, rising his head to be closer to Harvey’s, and Harvey, for a moment short and not calculate at all, let his head down, bringing his face so intimately close to Mike’s that Harvey’s breath was tingling Mike’s lips.

“I can’t deal with you right now” Harvey said, and his lips almost brushed Mike’s. He took the keys for Mike’s hands, and Mike was smart enough to move out of the door, even when all he wanted was to press his body into Harvey’s and kiss him till they both forgot about the stupid fight they were having.

When the door closed after Harvey, Mike started to breathe again. “’I can’t deal with you right now’!” he mocked, and hit the door “I can’t deal with _you!_ ” he replied to no one, and sat on the floor, back to the wall next to his stupid, small, table, one arm resting on one of the chairs. He couldn’t stop looking at the door. Why was he feeling so bad? Why was he feeling as if he had just had a fight with his lover?

Why was he the one that felt like he had disappointed his friend? Because yes, that was what Harvey was, his friend, his best friend, and nothing else. And Mike knew that that was what he was to Harvey too, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud, and there it was, their bigger problem, Harvey would deny even that they were best friends, he had brushed off that they were friends for months. Getting something out of Harvey, getting him to ‘upgrade’ his relationship was harder than asking a dictator to stop ruling over a country. 

Not only that, Mike suspected Harvey didn’t even thing about his emotions, not even in a monthly basis. Wasn’t sure if he had them or had forgotten them over the years and years of playing robot.

Yes, Harvey had gone to his apartment, and kissed him, and… But, fuck! Harvey was a closeted bi, if bi at all. What is more, he hadn’t, ever, in his whole life opened his heart, and Mike was, what? Expecting for him to do so with him? Why should him? Harvey had done more than enough for him, been vulnerable enough to go to his house and Mike had failed him on the second night, only about 26 hours before Harvey had first trusted him.

And Harvey had commitment issues from here to Mars and back, his only commitment was to work, and if he so much as kissed him… again, he was putting his work at even a higher risk that he was already doing by keeping Mike.

But he had keep Mike for so long; whichever problem arose that…

And, anyway, did Mike really want a… relationship (whatever) with him? They already saw each other every day, and worked together some nights, and, yes, Harvey was handsome, god-like, he couldn’t stop thinking about ruining his hair with his hands, about straddling him when he found Harvey sitting in his chair at the office, like he owned the world. Would think almost everyday (to the point it was embarrassing) of sitting in his lap and mouthing at his neck while he was still on that office chair, slowly moving his hips to feel Harvey response to him, because, of course, Harvey liked him; wasn’t he showing it every day? With every linger of his eyes on his and his ass, with every decision to keep him closer, and closer… and of course he thought of them as best friends and wanted much more, why would he had kissed him if it wasn’t for that?

And Mike hand that wasn’t resting on the chair seat was on his crotch, eyes closed. He could almost felt Harvey breath on his neck, his cologne, his hand on his chin, moving his head so he could look at him like he had done minutes ago.

Kissing him, hard, almost a bruising kiss. Making him move his ass forwards so he could get his pants just down enough to finger him. And he got his own hand working his suit’s trouser, unbuttoning them, unfitting his shirt. In his fantasy Harvey’s tie was hanging next to his face while Harvey fingered him, and he couldn’t repress a moan, he wasn’t sure if that one had been fantasy Mike or real Mike, and he didn’t really care; because he could picture himself feeling the coldness of Harvey’s table in contrast to the heat of Harvey’s body on top of his, as Harvey aligned himself with his hole, and god, they were in the office, anyone could walk in and see them like that, see that Mike belonged to Harvey.

Harvey thrusted in. Mike had giggled his trousers and underwear down to under his tights, one hand was pumping himself and the other one was playing with his hole, teasing himself there while fantasy Harvey fucked him senseless; both still in his suits, both moaning, and grunting, and the rest of the office was right there, a glance away from discovering them and-

“Mike?”

Mike opened his eyes and closed his legs. In front of him, door still open, was Harvey.

Harvey was half a block away when he realized he was behaving like a stupid man. He was being a fucking coward. He liked Mike. Liked him more than he had liked anyone ever.

He realized that Mike had been the person he wanted to see the most when he had thought his life was burning down. And he had gotten mad at him for arriving a little late to his _own_ apartment, where he had offered Harvey a place to stay. He was an asshole. A fucking asshole.

Well, he hadn’t expected a show like that when he opened the door. Fuck, the door. He closed it. Mike was still looking at him.

“Ha-Harvey I…”

“I’ll go, sorry-”

“No.”

“No?” Harvey asked, and let the keys fall to the floor, Mike winced at the sound, Harvey took off his jacket, discarding it on the back of the couch. “You want me here, Mike?” Harvey asked, not coming any closer, rolling his sleeves up.

“Yes.” Mike said, and knew that he must had gone crazy to say so, to think so, but god, he wanted Harvey all over him.

“Show me.”

“Touch me, please, Harvey” Mike said, opening his legs. Harvey had to close his eyes, groped himself, looked away and then back, opening his brown eyes, trying to focus them on Mike’s.

“Not today” he said. “Not like this.”

“You fucking asshole.”

“I’ve been told that before.” Mike couldn’t ignore how Harvey was touching himself above his trousers, slowly, almost as if he was trying not to do so, looking at him with dilated pupils. “Is better like this.”

“You think if you touch me I’m gonna fall in love, Harvey?”

“Yes” he answered without missing a beat. ‘Well, joke’s on you, Harvey Specter, because I’m already in love’ Mike thought, but didn’t say anything. He started to touch himself again, making sure that he was giving Harvey a good show. He thought of closing his eyes, going back to his fantasy, but any real-Harvey was better that the best fantasy-Harvey. “Mike, you look… perfect.” Harvey said, he could hear the change in his voice. “But your surroundings could be better, like my bed, me between your legs, lights low, your hand on my chest and-”

“Harvey” Mike moaned, and closed his eyes for a second, wanting to drag it all a little more. “If you say things like that I’m gonna jump you.”

“Wouldn’t you love to?” Harvey asked, and when Mike opened his eyes he was rewarded with the image of Harvey resting against the back of his couch, as if he thought his legs could fail him anytime; he had unbuttoned his trousers and his dick was out, hard and proud, going in and out Harvey’s fist lazily. “Wouldn’t you love to be just over here and not on the floor? My hands all over you, pup. Or maybe you’ll prefer me pinning you to the floor, or against that table. Against the office table.” Mike moaned much louder than indented, remembering his fantasy from just minutes ago, when Harvey had seemed so far away; he was so close now, even if he felt still that far away.

“Thanks” he said, speeding up his rhythm; he wanted for it to sound sardonic, sarcastic; but he wasn’t sure it had sounded like it, like any word at all for that matter.

“You can thank me later, when you have come all over yourself thinking about my dick inside you.” That earned him another beautiful loud moan from Mike’s lips, what only encouraged him. “Imagine it, Mikey, pup, I’ll stretch you so right, file you up so much, kiss your mouth red, touch you so much better than yourself can do. So much of me all over yourself at once.”

“Harvey-”

“Yeah, just like that, Mike, come for me” he commanded, and was what Mike but an obeying servant to him? So he came, all over his hand and the shirt that he hadn’t took away. He couldn’t open his eyes right away, and when he did Harvey wasn’t there.

“Fuck” he whispered. So that was it? Harvey was done with him already. And he had made a mess of himself. Fuck, God! How was he going to face Harvey at work? Did he still have a fucking job? He- Oh, Harvey was back, he sat next to him, handed him a towel. Mike took it “Thanks” he murmured, embarrassed of thinking that Harvey would have just left. He let his eyes do a quick take and Harvey wasn’t hard anymore, had he come? Fuck, he had missed it.

“You’re welcome” he said, his eyes not leaving Mike’s. “Mike, look-”

No, Mike couldn’t handle rejection right that moment. “I better go to sleep. Work, and all that” he said, but didn’t make a movement.

“I have to go get my things tomorrow morning” Harvey said, not moving either, still looking at the side of Mike’s face. Harvey could feel himself how his wall was cracking a little more, had been feeling so for months; so it didn’t come as a total surprise when he said: “Come with me.”

Still Mike looked at him, he wasn’t completely sure he had heard right. Was Harvey opening up to him? He frowned, then smiled, that was so Harvey, no ‘Can you come?’, or ‘You could come if you want’, no, even when Harvey was opening up, or whatever that was, he had to be in charge. He rolled his eyes and Harvey looked at him waiting for the answer to the question he hadn’t made.

“Yeah, okay” he said, and Harvey stood up, smiling.

Harvey felt stupid, stupid for being so happy to hear that Mike was going with him to his place to pick up the remains of what had been his house, and, okay, he was making a bigger deal of it that it really was, the fire hadn’t really gotten to the penthouse, and he would be able to go back in some time, but, well, he still felt like it was something important, and was stupidly happy he was going to have Mike with him. 

He walked to the bedroom while he thought about it; half way there he noticed Mike still sitting on the floor, looking at him go “Aren’t you coming?” he asked, on brown up.

“I could take the couch.”

“That couch is awful; I wouldn’t even let my associate take his naps there.” Mike smiled and Harvey went back to his side to lend him a hand. Mike got up and followed Harvey to the bedroom.

Mike wasn’t sure what game was Harvey playing now, if there was a game at all, if there had been one at some point. Where they going to talk about what had just happened?

“Good night, pup” Harvey said, sitting on what was now his side of the bed. So they weren’t.

“Good night, Harvey.”

Mike turned off the light.


	3. The ashes.

“I can believe your burned-down apartment is still far better than my own apartment.”

“If it’s any consolation, me neither” Harvey said, passing by Mike’s side and bending down to get something for under his bed. It was a box; Mike didn’t dare ask what was inside.

In that moment Mike realized three things:

  1. Last night a lot of things had happened, a lot of things Mike was trying not to think about; but those things hadn’t made Harvey run away, in fact, Harvey had woken him up so he could come to the apartment with him.
  2. It was difficult not thinking about last night things that happened when Harvey’s ass looked like that on those pants when he vended down.
  3. Harvey’s house hadn’t really burned down, so everything was exactly like he had let it two nights ago. Mike would never forget Harvey’s bedroom. Even if he wanted to.



Harvey turned to him; and for less than a minute their eyes were locked in the ones of the other.

Harvey, who had been trying for years not to feel, not to feel anything deep that could pull him back on his job; anchor him to a life where he couldn’t progress anymore, because he knew you could always do better, get better from others. Harvey, who dreaded feeling, felt loss at the sea of Mike’s eyes. Felt his heart sinking.

Mike was the one to move away first, his hand, hided in his pocket, trembling; his eyes glistering, just like last night, when he had begged for Harvey to…

“We can’t take that” said Mike, moments after, when Harvey commanded him to pick up the couch.

“I know; you only have to remember to tell the moving guys to pick it up.”

“Moving guys? Harvey, it doesn’t fit in my apartment.”

“We are throwing away your shitty one” Mike was about to protest, Harvey raised an eyebrow and he stopped; “it’s a present, I’ll buy a better one for myself, don’t worry.”

Mike wasn’t sure how he was supposed to answer that so he just said: “Thanks”, and hopped that the couch would fit in his living room.

“You should move, anyway. The apartments on this building are going to get cheaper now” Harvey said, bending down once again to take some books from a self, and Mike wasn’t sure what he was answering to when he answered.

“I can’t. It’s too expensive” sounded like a correct answer.

Harvey only rolled his eyes; haven’t fought that argument one to many times. He thought, once, about just buying the apartment for Mike, but he supposed that was the ‘grand gesture’ that romance novels (he didn’t read) talked about, so he just didn’t.

When they had picked up everything that Harvey deemed important to move with him to Mike’s apartment. And, wait, hold on, was Harvey moving in with him? To his shitty apartment? What even was happening that week? Anyway, he wasn’t going to put much thought into it because it seemed quite dangerous (and it scared him shitless, damn it); when they had picked up everything, they went to a fancy restaurant to eat, Harvey said they wouldn’t have a problem, even if they, of course, didn’t have a reservation. Mike didn’t say anything, nothing about it being too fancy, expensive, nothing at all, even if his brain was razing about all that was happening, he had managed to kept his mouth close. And then, just as they were going to go in, Harvey turned to Mike and said:

“What do you want?”

“What?”

“For eating, pup, quick.”

“I haven’t seen the menu yet, Harvey.”

“No, I mean, do you want to eat here? Or are you doing it just because I want?”

“Harvey, I’m eating wherever you want.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re paying. What is this? What is happening?” Mike asked, quite confused.

“Would you do whatever I asked of you?” Harvey asked, Mike opened his mouth, but didn’t answer right away. Harvey puckered his eyebrows and let out a sigh “You want to try that new terrible unhealthy restaurant next to your apartment?” he asked.

“Seriously?” Harvey could see Mike’s eyes lighting up, he nodded, “Yes! Thanks!” Mike said, and Harvey followed him to his own car that he was driving “You are still paying, right?” Mike asked, sitting co-pilot. Harvey nodded again “Great!” he smiled and relaxed in his seat.

Harvey was scared. Scared of what had happened; and, furthermore, scared of what part of it was consensual and how much of an asshole he had been; what if Mike was angry at him? Will he ever forgive him? He had thought about looking for a hotel to spend the night on that same night, but he couldn’t do it. He had spent the whole morning thinking about how his things were going to look on Mike’s apartment and how his body was going to feel cuddling Mike’s on the night. If Mike let him.

At times, he tried not to think about it, even tried to tell himself that he couldn’t want Mike; and that he had suppressed those feelings long enough to know how to push them back down again.

He couldn’t help smiling the whole time while he saw Mike stuff his mouth with the greasiest hamburger in the humble restaurant. After that they walked to Mike’s apartment, it was starting to get cold, really cold, so that was why they had walked so close to one another, why Harvey’s arm had brushed Mike’s so many times; why neither had let more space in between them when it happened once and once again. Why Mike’s checks were so red, why Harvey couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

It was late that same afternoon, they both were sitting on Mike’s table, the Chelsa documents all over its small surface, when Harvey turned his head sideways trying to crack his neck, and saw his clock on Mike’s apartment wall; it had been… unnecessary, to bring things like that to this place, he was staying only a couple more days, a week at much, but… he had wanted to do so, and Mike hadn’t told him not to do it.

Mike, who was right there, in front of him, trying to steal glances at his arms since Harvey had rolled his sleeves up. Mike who, clearly, wanted him. Mike, who hadn’t thrown him out of the apartment. Who he had felt was the only person he could turn to when everything felt apart.

An hour passed till Harvey let himself think of it again. Mike had migrated to the floor by then, almost between Harvey’s opened legs, what was doing unspeakable things to Harvey’s mind; the papers that had once been on the table were now mostly at the floor, save for the couple of leaves that Harvey was reading.

Harvey looked down at the same time Mike was looking up, and, simple as that something inside Harvey broke.

Probably, a wall.

It was that moment in every cliché-film were one of the protagonist says ‘Oh’, that ‘Oh’, that means ‘So it has always been you’, or ‘there you were’, or ‘so the World did really had color to it’.

It meant all three of them to Harvey.

It also meant that he could felt his heartbeat for the first time in years, it also meant that he was so scared he could cry for help right that moment.

“Harvey?”

It also meant, in a simpler conjugation of words, that Harvey Specter was in love.

“I’m sorry, Mike” he said, and felt forwards to the floor, making Mike move a little back, but, mostly, he was still between Harvey legs, just much closer now.

Harvey didn’t wait for Mike’s question that was clearly forming in his mind, before kissing him. His hand went to Mike’s check and he was caressing him like he was scared he would break. He wasn’t sure if he was the one breaking.

“Wait, wait” Mike said moving out of the kiss but his lips still touching Harvey’s “Wait. Harvey, are you sorry?” he said, and was smiling “I need you to write it down” he said, and was about to laugh when he saw a tear dropping out of Harvey’s eye and rolling down his check. “Fuck, Harvey, why…? What did I do?”

Harvey looked at him confused, not knowing what Mike was referring to; then he felt his own tear.

“Oh, fuck, I look like a stupid oversensitive-”

“Let’s… stop right there. Why are you-? You know.”

“I don’t know. I… I’ve been telling myself ‘No’ for too long, I suppose.”

“Tears of joy?”

“I prefer not to think about it.”

“Is this going to be another thing not to talk about? Not that I mind that much, I just want to be… prepared.”

“God, Mike, if you keep being that bad at lies I’ll have to fire you.”

“Just tell me, please.” And Harvey could felt the air in the room changing, Mike baring himself, once again, to Harvey.

“I was… I had my doubts, Mike, this is illicit, dangerous, something that could get both of us fired, and you in jail, and a whole lot of complications will arise for it. What if our whole coordination changes just because I…, because I want you. So I thought this couldn’t be something I could even want, let alone act upon it” Mike swallowed, remembering those were things he had thought himself for so long. “So I brushed it away for a long time, Mike, longer that I am comfortable admitting” Harvey paused, toke a breath. “And then, when I found myself alone in the blinding shine of the New York night all I wanted was to be with you.” Harvey hadn’t taken away his eyes from Mike’s; and Mike was looking at him with his mouth open, as if he wanted to make a remark at every point Harvey was explaining, but he didn’t. “But I do. I want you. I like you, Mike.”

He did a whole lot more than that and he dreamt of saying it someday, but, for now, he could smile after saying it, after seeing Mike smiling back at him.

Mike was thinking, he was thinking too many things at one, but one big, dense, and bright thought was overshadowing the rest.

He kissed Harvey, hard and brushing, then sweet and slow. Got his legs around his, and pushed him against the chair he had been sitting on.

“If you haven’t notice yet I like you too” he whispered in his ear before kissing his neck. “And no.”

“What?”

“I wouldn’t do whatever you asked of me. I almost never do.”

At that time, the old clock Mike had in his apartment should have gotten stuck for five seconds, making it delayed for almost five minutes; but it didn’t, because Harvey’s clock was in its place, perfectly in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end! I'm really grateful for all your kudos and comments, and I hope they keep coming! <3  
> I debated with myself for almost ten minutes if I should write on time or in time (for the methaphorical sense of the sentence), so I know the clock should be ON time, but is a methaphor of Harvey realizing just in time that he likes/loves Mike. Just so you know!! I love doing things like that, I'm sorry.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Remember to comment and left your kudos if you enjoyed it!


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